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NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: FLYERS v LIGHTNING

May 12, 2004

John Tortorella

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: Practice Day

Q. Just after looking at the film from the other night just what do you think was the biggest problem for you guys?
JOHN TORTORELLA: There was many big problems. Well, not big problems. We were simply outplayed. You go down 3-nothing, you start getting away from your team concept a little bit, you start taking even more chances, give up quite a few odd-man rushes. Again, it's one game, it's one tick in the lost column. You need four to win. We are even and we are looking forward to tomorrow night.
Q. Sort of an old cliche, is it easier to forget about games that you lost by a lot as opposed to --
JOHN TORTORELLA: I think when you are a club that has won a number in a row in the Playoff run here, if you are going to get back to reality you are going to be humbled a little bit. You might as well go all the way. We certainly were. I give a tremendous lot of credit to Philadelphia; they played a heck of a hockey gave. So if you are going to go, go all the way. We don't even talk about it. I looked at the tape as all coaches do. The players won't see any, no matter how good, bad, or ugly it was. We set our whole mindset getting ready for Game 3.
Q. Hitchcock has responded to your post practice comments today by saying?
JOHN TORTORELLA: I don't need to hear them. I really. If you want to ask me anything about the series, I am not too concerned about what coach Hitchcock's response or anything like. That if you want to ask me about the series go ahead.
Q. Could I get you to clarify what you said after practice?
JOHN TORTORELLA: I think it was pretty clear. I am not going to comment on it too much. I am not going to comment on it at all. This is about the series, and anything you guys, anything you want to ask me about the series I will be more than happy to answer.
Q. Does it bother you that after losing twice now in three series that people are still asking you questions. This is my back way of asking about questions about your goaltending, about confidence things like that, or I mean, is that just inevitable given some of the history that given -- history and maybe the history of the franchise without a long Playoff history?
JOHN TORTORELLA: I think as I said about Nik, Nik is a world-class goalie. This organization when it began making some of its baby steps to some sort of respect in this League Nikolai Khabibulin was the big reason for that. We can't forget that. I think when people start questioning Nik and to me it's just ludicrous for anybody to be questioning Nikolai Khabibulin in the run that he just had and giving us an opportunity to be where we're at. I think people go back to last year and it's a good story. And I don't blame him. I don't blame people for bringing it up. I don't think Nik is really too worried about it. Nikolai Khabibulin is going to play tomorrow night. He's going to get right back to where he was and give us every opportunity to continue to compete in this series.
Q. That said is tomorrow night a real test? I mean, when you lose in Game 2 against the Islanders he still plays well. That was really the first off game he had in this Playoff. Is this a test then for him to rebound tomorrow night just as it is for the whole team?
JOHN TORTORELLA: I think it is the whole team. I think we are dealing with a different animal here too. No disrespect to the New York Islanders, I think we are playing a club right now that's simply playing better than the New York Islanders were playing at that time, and to come off it's the same type of situation as we did when we went on the Island we had a little meeting, talked about our intensity level and what we need to do. We have had a brief discussion, we'll have another one tomorrow. But it's a different animal here. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the Philadelphia Flyers. And I think it's a tremendous challenge and when you have that challenge it is a great opportunity and that's the way we have to look at this. This is a fantastic opportunity for our guys, and I think we have been a pretty resilient bunch as Philly has this year. We are looking to play. Two days off was too much for us also, so we are looking to play.
Q. After watching the film, are there big adjustments you make based on the way the Flyers played or do you say this is what has carried us to this point and --
JOHN TORTORELLA: We're not a team that ends up doing too much adjusting. There are always small things within a player or this play that play, I don't think Philly made a tremendous amount of adjustment. They changed their line-up. Sami Kapanen, I thought, played very well. But all the talk of adjustments here and there, they simply played harder. They played harder. Nothing went right for us. And the adjustment we have to make is to bring our level up and I think Coach Hitchcock was talking about his team at that point in time after Game 1 that he has to match intensity level. We have to ratchet it up here now. That's what this series comes down to. It isn't -- it's not a complicated thing. It's a bunch of men on both teams trying to figure out a way to win that battle to try to get an opportunity to make that big play. And get that big save. Whatever it may be. That's all this is. That's how we approach it. So is there an adjustment? Yes, we simply have to play harder. We have to play smarter and we have to be in situations to win a helluva lot more battles than we won the other night.
Q. Lots of coaches like to do some changes after a loss. You didn't have much in this Playoff. Are you the kind of coach that likes to do some changes?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Those decisions are made by the players. Depends on what the players are doing. We're not going to make a change for the sake of making a change. We're pretty happy with our group. We didn't play well as a team. A lot of focus has been on Nik. That wasn't our biggest problem, Nikolai Khabibulin, the other night. It was our team. So there's not going to be changes. As we go through the series - and we feel it's going to be a long one - if some people aren't doing the things that we think they should be doing, there are people chomping at the bit to get in. That's when we -- or they will make the decisions who goes in. So that's how we go about that.
Q. Beat a team five times in a row like you did then you lose by a big score, any crisis of confidence and saying that, how have you practices been the last two days since then?
JOHN TORTORELLA: We only practiced today. We took the day off the next day and I don't look at us beating them five times in a row. I look at us splitting with them at home. Both games, I thought they played very well. So we're -- our practice habits are -- goes along the same lines as we practiced right on through, we have started the Playoffs here. So confidence, no. I think our guys feel good about themselves. I think you have to have an arrogance as an individual and as a team. I think when you get kicked, the way we got kicked the other night, it may bring you back to the right side of that arrogance; that strutt and you need to have that at this time of year. So we're not going to sit back and say, what is going to happen to us now. We are playing our game. We're going to play with the right type of confidence. If we don't that's when you are in real trouble.
We're not focusing on what happened. It is what we do next now. What do you do next after losing Game 2. That's all it is to us, is a loss in Game 2. So it's now -- it's Game 3; that's what we're concentrating on.
Q. A lot of times after a road win players will say: We played the perfect road game. Does your game change at all when you are on the road as opposed to being at home? Could you play closer-to-the-vest when you are in somebody else's building as opposed to being at The Forum?
JOHN TORTORELLA: Sure. I think -- we know what -- we know what to expect as the first 10 minutes of this game unfolds. I think you have got to be smart in those areas too. Your game does change on the road a bit as far as simplifying things and concentrating just on the little things. So we expect Philly to come. I mean, they have stated it and now they have home ice and they want to try and keep their home ice. I think this team here has been a pretty good road team throughout the Playoffs. I am not even talking about regular season, throughout the Playoffs, I think we have been a pretty good road team, so it sets up to be a pretty good hockey game. We're going to go about how we prepare for the road. How we prepare in Philly, and see where we go.

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